Liverpool boss praises the quick impact of his coaching staff | OneFootball

Andoni Iraola on Liverpool USA Tour, Young Players and Pre-Season Evolution

Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States has done what these trips are supposed to do. It has given the new head coach time, access and clarity. Three weeks out from the start of the 2026-27 campaign, Andoni Iraola sounds like a coach who has used every hour wisely.

Results matter only up to a point in July, but Liverpool have handled their work well so far, beating Sunderland 4-2 and Wrexham 1-0 before the final tour fixture against Leeds United in Chicago. More important than the scorelines is the pattern emerging behind them. Iraola has seen signs of progress, a group beginning to absorb his methods, and a crop of younger players proving they are worth serious consideration.

His assessment of the trip was clear and accurate. “I think it has been really, really useful.” That is the headline from Liverpool’s USA tour, because this was never about marketing slogans or empty miles. It was about getting information into the squad and seeing which players can process it quickly enough to help when the real games begin.

Liverpool USA tour gives Iraola early answers

Iraola pointed to the obvious benefit first, time spent with players and staff in a closed environment. For a coach taking over a club of this size, that matters. Training sessions tell you one thing, matches tell you another, and long days on tour tend to fill in the gaps. As he put it, “Obviously, you spend a lot of time with the players, with the staff, you get all the information you can.”

There is also the matter of adaptation. New managers arrive with ideas. Players arrive with habits. Somewhere in the middle, a team starts to form. Iraola believes that process is under way. “And I think there is also an evolution, it has to be. We start to understand each other better, what we need to do.” That is not theatre. It is what a coaching transition looks like when it is stripped of hype.

He also made an important point about the players still to rejoin the group. Liverpool are not yet complete, but the foundations can still be laid. “Every game, I hope we can get closer and closer and put ourselves in a position where the few players that still are not here start to train also, they are helped by the others.” In plain terms, he wants the standards and tactical references in place before the full squad is assembled.

Young players force their way into the conversation

The most encouraging part of Liverpool’s pre-season has been the contribution from the academy and U21 players. Iraola did not dress it up. For him, this has probably been the standout feature of the tour.

“Probably the performance of the young players,” he said. That tracks with what Liverpool have needed. After a turbulent 2025-26 season and a change in the dugout, the club need internal solutions as much as external ones. Pre-season gives younger players an opening, but they still have to take it. According to Iraola, several have done exactly that.

His praise was specific. “At the end, we’ve had most of the players coming from the U21s, from the Academy, and they’ve performed really well against Premier League opposition, very good players – winning duels, helping us also in the collective idea.” That matters because it goes beyond effort and enthusiasm. Iraola is talking about duels, structure and collective understanding. Those are first-team demands.

The next step is where it gets difficult. Not every promising youngster can stay in the senior squad, and development is rarely linear. Iraola admitted there are “different scenarios” in play. “Some of them are going to return to the U21s, some of them will go on loan, and some of them will stay with us because I think we will need them during the season.”

That final part is the key line. “They’ve shown me that they have the level, they can give us quality minutes, a good level in training and I’m sure some of them will stay with us, yes.” Liverpool supporters will hear that and know these places are there to be earned. Iraola is not handing out favours. If a young player stays, it will be because he can contribute.

Backroom staff already shaping Liverpool pre-season

A new head coach does not arrive alone, even when some faces are already in the building. Iraola’s comments on his staff were revealing because they explained how he wants Liverpool to operate behind the scenes.

On Shaun Cooper and Tommy Elphick, he was direct. “Yes, for me, Tommy and Shaun are very valuable because they have been English players, they’ve played in the Premier League, the Championship, League One; they understand the culture, they understand what the players are thinking.” In a dressing room that mixes nationalities, ages and experience levels, that sort of understanding can be crucial.

He also values continuity of process. These are coaches who worked with him before and understand how his ideas develop over time. “They have seen all the process during these three years where we’ve been evolving, we’ve been adding different things.” That makes them useful intermediaries, both for players and for staff already at Liverpool.

Iraola was honest about the dynamic between a manager and his assistants. “I think they are sometimes in more touch with the players than me because always with the manager there is a little bit of more distance.” He added, “They are brilliant in this.” That is a practical admission, not a weakness. Good managers know they need trusted staff who can read the room, relay messages and filter problems before they become bigger issues.

Tommy Elphick’s personal connection to the club adds a human element. Iraola’s description was simple and effective: “Tommy, I tell him, he is living his dream.” He even revealed that Elphick had opportunities elsewhere, saying, “I think he had this summer a chance to coach in the Championship. Good clubs called him, but I think he couldn’t miss this because he’s been a big Liverpool fan.”

There was also a line that captured what joining Liverpool can feel like, even for staff. Meeting club greats left an impression. “We were talking the other day, meeting with the legends we have here, with Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush – he was like, ‘Oof, this is big.’”